INDICATORS

7.1. Current state in Europe
Health information systems and, by the same token, the availability of data and
indicators differ widely between EU countries.
These differences reflect different historical developments and also some differences in
current perceived needs for information.
In several countries health information systems are quite advanced and it will be relatively
easy to implement the health indicator system. In a number of other countries, more
work will be needed.
Another determining factor is the extent of regionalisation in national administrations
and health care systems. In strongly regional structures, health information varies from
one region to the next.
The influence of history is reflected in many systems having access to and providing to
international databases mainly data on demography, mortality and causes of deaths.
Because of the long history of infectious disease surveillance and control and the
existence of a European institution (ECDC), information on communicable diseases
and vaccinations is also widely available.
However, although all the current data and indicators may continue to be necessary
in the future, the real needs of current public health policy call for a much broader
complementary information basis.
7.2. Availability and comparability
Many efforts in the area of health reporting have shown that truly comparable data
and indicators between EU countries are rare. This remains the case even though most
EU countries carry out Health Interview Surveys. Some comparisons can be made on
such aspects as smoking habits, obesity, self-reported diseases and use of medicines, or
on some diagnoses drawn from health care utilisation data, but only in analyses limited
to a few selected countries. However, comparisons cannot be done between all the EU
countries or between a wider range of health-related issues. In the future, EHIS may
help to improve the situation.
Health policy actions need to be grounded in information on, for instance, risk and
protective factors of major public health problems, on functioning and on care needs
in different countries and over time. Examples of risk factors include hypertension and
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